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Children are naturally curious, and love to learn new things. However, there comes a point when the love of learning in your child wanes because of a variety of factors, not the least of them is the rote classroom learning they have to go through in school.
It is not unheard of for the tediousness of the classroom to get to our children and effectively starve off their innate love of learning. To spare your child this unfortunate result, here are some things that would help you actively keep the love of learning in your child aflame.
Make learning fun
If learning becomes boring, then make learning fun! Instead of straight-up tutoring your kid on, say, the finer points of multiplication, make a game out of it. (Fun math game anyone…?) To reinforce letters and their sounds, alphabet bingo sounds just about right to make learning fun. You can also help build vocabulary by having them play Scrabble Junior or other word games. You can also make learning fun by using music, and nursery rhymes that teach syntax, grammar and help increase vocabulary are perfect examples. When they’re learning while having fun at the same time, children tend to learn faster and learn more.
Set an example for your child
Children will always look up to us as an example especially when they’re young. They watch everything we do, and emulate us whether or not what they see us do or hear us say is good or bad. Since this is the case, you should always set an example for your child. Give them the impression that learning is something you love doing. Talk to them about a book you just read, or fun and interesting trivia that you happen to know. Keep a good collection of books and other reading materials at home, and make sure your child has access to them. It would help set an example for your child if you have actually read those books yourself. If you had an interesting day at work, tell them a story or two about it.
Keep those questions coming
Instead of quizzing them on a regular basis, let your kid do most of the asking. Children are naturally inquisitive and encouraging them to ask more questions will trigger discussions that will more or less quench their thirst for answers. You can set up intriguing situations, like taking your child to work and showing him office equipment he’s never seen before. Prepare for a barrage of questions later, and make sure you answer them the best possible way you can.
Admit you don’t know everything
When your child asks you a question and you don’t know the answer, be honest enough to admit to that fact. That way, you will be giving your child the impression that learning is a never-ending process, that there will always be new stuff to learn even as they grow older. It also presents even more opportunities to bond with your child, as you can offer to learn together that thing you both don’t have an answer to.
As long as you make an effort to create a love of learning in your child, you are in effect ushering them into a wonderful world of learning and discovery for the rest of their lives.